Marshawn Lynch ran for 140 yards and two touchdowns, Steven Hauschka kicked three field goals in blustery conditions, and Seattle's defense flustered Drew Brees and New Orleans in a 23-15 victory Saturday in the NFC divisional playoff game.

But when I take a look back at things, and even when Drew Brees takes a look back at things, it came down to missed opportunities and Marshawn Lynch.

Lynch provided Beast Mode Part 2 on that 31-yard touchdown run with 2:40 left in the game, putting the dagger into the Saints season. It was somewhat of a flashback from the run in the 2010 postseason. Well, more like a mini version of it. Lynch stiff armed Keenan Lewis on his way into the end zone, and then the 12th man made it rain skittles throughout CenturyLink. Lynch finished with a monster game, rushing for 140 yards and two important touchdowns.

For the most part, the Saints did a great job on defense. They held Russell Wilson and the rest of the Seattle offense to 137 yards. I would say Rob Ryan's game plan worked out for the most part, of course, minus Lynch breaking tackles for some big runs.

The Saints missed out on their chances to score points in the game. The always reliable Shayne Graham missed two field goals. That came after making all four kicks against the Eagles. Also, the offense stalled out near midfield or just into Seahawks’ territory. You can give credit to the Seattle defense or maybe the swirling winds, but the Saints just couldn't convert on those chances.

The huge momentum shift of the game was in the second quarter when Mark Ingram fumbled the ball inside his own 25. The Saints were trailing 6-0, but that fumble cost them seven more points. Up to that point, Sean Payton was executing his game plan. They were running it right at the top defense in the NFL with both Mark Ingram and Khiry Robinson. I will give Payton credit. He continued to run the ball after that fumble, and it worked for a little while until they fell behind 16-0.

The weather definitely effected Brees in the first half throwing into the teeth and against the wind. Brees got it going in the second half after going 5-for-12 for 34 yards in the first half. He finished the game with 309 yards passing and did most of his damage with Marques Colston, who caught 11 passes for 144 yards and one score. Brees and the offense found the holes on the Seattle defense and punished them for 409 yards. Unfortunately, the Seahawks punished Jimmy Graham the entire game, playing him physical at the line. Graham had his one and only reception with 24 seconds left in the game, which was a meager eight-yard catch.

I would bet the Saints never wanna play another playoff game out west against an NFC West team. They've put an end to the Saints season three of the last four years. The Seahawks did it twice and the 49ers once.

When you look back at this season, it was a lot more ups than downs. The Saints won 12 games, the fifth time under Sean Payton they've won double-digit games. Rob Ryan came in and flipped the worst defense in the NFL to a top-10 defense with essentially the same players. They have a lot to look forward to in terms of the future. Sean Payton has a lot of young talent that played this season due to some injuries. It's certainly a good thing that those younger guys got playing time as they move forward. They will have to address a few needs during the offseason to improve the team and will also have to lock up Jimmy Graham to a long-term deal.

I know Saints fans are thinking the window to win another Super Bowl is closing. Even Brees admitted that after the game. He just finished his 13th season and knows he doesn't have that many more opportunities to win another one.